With the January transfer window just around the corner managers are getting ready to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal make their move for Man Utd target Paulo Dybala.

Arsenal have tabled a €40m bid for Manchester United target Paulo Dybala but the duo face fresh competition for the forward’s signature from Borussia Dortmund, according to reports.

Dybala has emerged as one of the hottest properties in European football after an explosive start to the season in Serie A that’s seen him score 9 times for Palermo so far this campaign.

His impressive form in front of goal has led to speculation over a potential move in January with recent reports suggesting that Arsene Wenger was eyeing a swoop for the Argentinean starlet, while Manchester United are also understood to be keen on luring the 21-year-old to the Premier League.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini responded to the reports by saying earlier this month that it would take €40m to persuade them to sell as Dybala would be better than the likes of Lionel Messi in two years time:

“Within two years, he’s going to be better than Cristiano Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic.”

“It would take €40m (£31m) to take him away from us. He’s the best striker in Serie A.” Zamparini is quoted as saying

It looks as though Arsenal may now have met this asking price as the Daily Star are reporting that Wenger has tabled a formal €40m (£31m) bid for the young forward in the hope of beating United to his signature.

However, before Arsenal fans get too excited, the newspaper also states that Borussia Dortmund are trying to gazump the Gunners with an offer worth €48m (£37.5m) as they look to secure a long-term replacement for Marco Reus – whose expected to leave the club next summer.

It remains to be seen how Palermo will respond to these supposed bids but it’s safe to assume they’ll go with Dortmund’s higher offer, but there’s no guarantee Dybala will accept a move to the Bundesliga.

The Argentinean recently admitted he’d be interested in a move to Arsenal and the Premier League, so there is still a chance we could see the highly-rated young striker end up in England either in January or in the summer.

“To know that someone like that thinks highly of me fills me with pride.

“I can’t deny that going to Arsenal and playing in the Premier League would be great, but at the moment I’m a Palermo player.” Dybala is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

Dybala looks to have a bright future ahead of him but I’d be hugely surprised if reports of Arsenal tabling a £30m+ bid are accurate, as a striker is arguably the last thing the North Londoners need right now with a centre-back and defensive midfielder much greater priorities.

However, you wouldn’t put anything past Wenger as he’s been known to ignore glaring holes in his squad in recent years, so perhaps he’s ready to splash out big on another forward in the hope that that will somehow solve his sides deficiencies this season.

About Football-Talk

Football-Talk is an independent website made up of a team of football-loving contributors that provide news and views on Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham.

We cover a wide range of topics including match previews, team news, video goals, player ratings, transfer news, general news, blogs and features. We hope you enjoy what we have to offer. You can find out more about us here and if you have any questions feel free to contact us .